9 Steps to Happiness
by AppleR3
Summary: This, Sasuke thinks, is what happiness feels like.


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Please read and review :)

...

1\. Reunion

Naruto looks to the man on his left, and can't help the foxy grin that makes its way onto his face. He is brooding, Naruto can tell, but that isn't what everybody else is seeing. He is giving a speech, voice rich and deep that has everybody in the room mesmerised. His jaw is sharp and chiselled, nose tall and aristocratic. His cheekbones are higher than Naruto ever thought possible for a man and his eyes are so, so dark. His dark hair falls around his face, obscuring his left eye, and to the world, he is a picture of uncaring nonchalance, a picture of perfection. When the world sees Uchiha Sasuke, they see a prodigy, the youngest son of Uchiha Fugaku, and one of the most sought after lawyers in Japan who owned one of the most successful law firms with Uzumaki Naruto. To the world, Uchiha Sasuke is perfect, Uchiha Sasuke is unyielding, and Uchiha Sasuke is powerful.

But when Naruto looks at Uchiha Sasuke, he sees his brother and his best friend. Naruto and Sasuke have been side by side since they were five, and Naruto thinks that after twenty three years, he can read Sasuke like an open book. He has seen Sasuke through scraped knees, broken bones, and broken hearts. He has seen Sasuke through university exams, sleepless nights and endless court cases. He has seen Sasuke through all of his ups and downs, and to Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke is a picture of catastrophe. He sees the frown that always mars his forehead, the slight downturn of his lips, and the tenseness in his shoulders. To Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke is broken and incomplete.

As Sasuke's speech draws to a close, Naruto readies himself for his own, and he thinks that maybe, tonight will be the night. They are hosting a gala to celebrate their firm's third successful year, and Naruto is hoping that she will make it in time.

After all the formalities are done, Naruto and Sasuke walk around the gallery, making small talk with the various people who were privileged enough to receive an invitation. Sasuke is sipping on a glass of champagne while saying his thanks to their first and biggest client, Nara Shikamaru, when he catches sight of something pink from the corner of his eye. Sasuke has spent eight years chasing after visions of pink, but this time, he knows he's found her.

When his eyes land on her, he feels his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. He thinks he hears a soft chuckle from Naruto and Shikamaru before they politely excuse themselves, but Sasuke pays them no heed. All he can see is her, dressed in a navy blue sweetheart dress cut low enough to show cleavage, but kept enough for imagination. It hugs her curves the right way, and her pink hair that had been grown out lay in loose tendrils over her left shoulder, leaving the pale, creamy skin of her neck and right shoulder exposed. Her green, green eyes are framed by thick dark lashes, and Sasuke forces himself to take a breath. Sakura is standing in front of him, looking sweet and demure and everything he has been missing for the last eight years.

"Sakura…," he manages to croak out, eyes wide in disbelief. She holds his gaze and walks towards him, closing the distance between them. "Sasuke-kun," she says, and he notes that his name still rolls off her tongue the way it used to. "Eight years…,"she breathes, cheeks flushed, eyes glistening, and Sasuke can't help the small smile that is slowly making its way on his lips. "I've missed you." And she pulls him into an embrace that is a little too tight, an embrace that normally would have made him self-conscious, but this is Sakura and Sakura has always broke the rules and Sasuke can't find it in himself to care. His hands tremble slightly as he moves to return her embrace, eyes closing as he breathes in her scent.

2\. Begin again

It is three in the morning and Sasuke is lying in bed, wide awake. He can't get the image of Sakura out of his head, and he runs his fingers through his hair as he thinks of where the last eight years have gone.

Seeing Sakura at the gala that night hadn't been a part of his plans, but he hadn't been able to leave her side. He accompanied her as she moved around, catching up with people she hadn't seen in a while. He thinks of her conversation with Tsunade, and can't help but smirk. Tsunade was a renowned doctor who owned the Senju Hospital, and he had found out that Sakura had been offered a position as the head oncologist there. He remembers how his lips quirked upwards at the sound of her laugh, eyes softening as he stared at her. Even after eight years, Sakura still managed to tug on his heart strings.

At six in the morning, Sasuke finds himself knocking on Sakura's front door. There is a feeling of uneasiness as he waits patiently for the door to open, and when it finally does, he releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. Sakura's hair is dishevelled from sleep and she is rubbing the sleep from her eyes, but when she realises that it is Sasuke standing in front of her, her eyes widen with surprise, pink tinging her cheeks almost instantly and Sasuke is pleased with her reaction.

"Sasuke-kun? What are you doing here?" she cocks her head in confusion, and Sasuke automatically runs his hands through his hair and scowls. He feels his cheeks heat up a little, embarrassed, but he murmurs the words breakfast and coffee and when Sakura's lips form a smile and her eyes soften and she voices a small "I'd love to," Sasuke can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, she hadn't changed with time.

She steps aside and invites him in, and tells Sasuke that she won't be long. Sasuke takes in her new apartment, boxes and suitcases stacked up in the living room, but knows that Sakura will make this place feel like home in no time. She tells him to take a seat on her bed as she gets ready, and Sasuke is appalled that his eyes are following her every movement but he can't look away. He takes this chance to study her and the woman she's become. Even without make up, Sakura is beautiful. Her jaw is sharper now, cheekbones higher, and her once shoulder length hair now tumbled down her back in soft waves. She is wearing an oversized shirt and little shorts, and while Sasuke feels guilty for staring, he can't help but appreciate how long and lean her legs have become. But while Sakura may have changed physically, her eyes are still the same bright green he remembers.

He stares at her through the reflection in the mirror as she brushes her teeth, and there is a strange yearning in his heart that he can't quite place. For a brief second, their eyes meet, and Sakura looks away almost instantly, and Sasuke is blushing furiously for being caught staring.

Later, when Sasuke leads the way out of her apartment, Sakura surprises him by wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in the hard planes of his back. He feels his shirt dampen with tears and her trembling arms tightening their grip. "My name," she starts, voice breaking with every syllable, "is Haruno Sakura. It's really nice to meet you." He feels a pressure erupt in his chest and it is contracting his ribs so hard that his entire body aches when he realises what she is doing. He is suddenly hit by the reality that eight years apart had taken away any rights he had at coming to her at six in the morning. That both of them couldn't possibly be the same people they used to be. "Uchiha Sasuke," he says, turning around to place a soft kiss on top of her head, and when Sakura lets herself sob, Sasuke knows that she understood his silent apology.

3\. Expectations

In the weeks that follow Sakura's return from America, Sasuke hasn't been quite the same. Sasuke always leaves his office for lunch, and takes impromptu days off work. Sasuke is more relaxed, more rested, more laidback. He eats more and talks more and smiles more.

One weekend when Sasuke is away on a business trip, Naruto asks Sakura to lunch. They have ramen at Ichiraku, and the smell of ramen in the air coupled with Naruto's slurping and the faded red benchtop are nostalgic, and Sakura can't help but smile as she watches Naruto devour his ramen. "Sakura-chan," he says, mouth full of ramen, and Sakura stifles a giggle. Some things, she thinks, will always stay the same. "I haven't talked to you much since Sasuke-teme started having you all to himself again," he whines, "but how have you been?"

Sakura blushes lightly, and stares at her own bowl of ramen, contemplating Naruto's question as she watches the steam rise and disappear into the cold winter air. She frowns, and takes a mouthful of ramen. "I'm in love with my best friend. I know I've been promising all this while that I would try and let go. And Naruto, the truth is…I have tried…I have been trying, but ever since I came back, ever since I started talking to Sasuke-kun again, it's like…" and she stops, unsure. Would Naruto judge her for her feelings? He had been her rock since she met him, and even more so for the last eight years while she was in America. He had been there through the times when she thought Sasuke could return her feelings, been there through the times when she knew Sasuke would only ever see her as a friend, been there through the eight years she spent alone trying to get over Sasuke. And although Sakura thinks he might condone her, she isn't surprised when he reaches out for her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze before returning to his ramen.

"I get it Sakura-chan. You don't have to explain yourself to me. Seeing the teme again and getting to know him again reminds you of the past and how you've always felt for him, and it's almost like…the crushing weight of your affection cripples you, doesn't it? I mean, how can you not fall in love with your best friend? I was in love with you once, remember? And then I met Hinata-chan and everything changed. But I get it Sakura-chan. You and Sasuke spend every waking moment together, it'd be crazy if you didn't feel anything. Really, Sasuke always calls me the idiot…but the one who can't see what's happening around him isn't me, dattebayo."

Sakura feels a lump form in her throat and tears prickle at the corners of her eyes but feels her heart warm up at the same time. Naruto always understood how she felt. He loved her unconditionally for who she was, accepted her fully for all her flaws. And the way he looked at her so endearingly made her realise that she would never find another friend like him.

"Ne, Naruto, how could he expect me not to feel a single thing when I saw him every day? How could he expect me not to want to spend the rest of my life falling asleep to his voice when we used to stay up until ungodly hours on the phone, only hanging up when light started to creep through my curtains or when I fell asleep mid-sentence? How could he…expect me not to want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to him after all of our sleepovers, when every single time, he's always held me in his arms? How could he expect me to love someone else when he's always made me feel loved? How could he expect me not to want to be the one to make him happy and reassure him that things will be okay and that I'll always be there when I'm the one person who he feels comfortable enough with to let his guard down, when I'm able to see him hurting and going through things alone? How could he expose himself and all his twisted and darkest secrets and expect me not to accept him for who he is? How could Sasuke-kun…charm me with his eyes and his smile and laughter…and make me feel butterflies in my stomach every single time I saw him…how could he protect me and tell me that he wants me by his side always, and that he never wants to lose me…and expect me not to fall in love with him?" By the time she is done, tears are already rolling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin into her bowl of ramen. She is hiccupping and her face is flushed and her hands are clenched into tight little fists. She thinks of how they met on her first day of school and how they had become inseparable ever since. She thinks of all the ice cream cones he has bought her, all the sleepovers they had before exams or during the summer holidays, all the late night phone calls, all the secrets and laughter and tears they had shared. She thinks of the friendship she had lost in the last eight years, of losing the long, existential conversations, of losing his trust and his support and his love – even if he didn't love her the way she wanted him to, she knew that Sasuke loved her in his own way. Sakura thinks of how she had lost Sasuke, not inconspicuous bit by inconspicuous bit, but all at once. She thinks that the only thing worse than being silently in love with Sasuke is losing him completely.

A gentle breeze flows through the ramen stand, and Naruto sighs in defeat. "C'mon, Sakura-chan. Let's have some dango." He leaves a few bills on the table, enough to cover for both their meals, and grabs Sakura's hands and leads the way to his car. 'If only,' he thinks. If only Sasuke could get over his fear of never being good enough for Sakura, and if only Sakura could see how the teme really felt about her, his life would be so much easier. And they called Naruto the idiot.

4\. Always

Sasuke sighs in irritation after finally managing to find a park. The meeting with his client had taken longer than expected, and he was now thirty minutes late for lunch with Sakura. He isn't sure if she is still waiting for him, she hasn't replied his texts or picked up his calls, and he amuses himself with thoughts of making it up to her with her favourite macarons.

The bell chimes as Sasuke pushes the door open and immediately his eyes zero in on the pink of Sakura's hair. Today she is in a white tank top paired with a floral pencil skirt and nude heels, hair tied up high in a messy bun, exposing her slender neck and Sasuke briefly thinks that it should be illegal for her to go to work dressed like that.

The maître d is by her table, chatting with her as she gets up to leave. Sasuke doesn't know what they're talking about but he can make out the frown that is slowly making its way across her forehead, offset by the polite smile he knows she doesn't mean. Her shoulders are slowly tensing and her posture is rigid as she picks up her bag and excuses herself. Her eyes widen with relief when they catch Sasuke's from across the room, and he wastes no time in striding over to her. Sasuke is taken aback when the maître d grabs Sakura's elbow, stopping her from walking away, and now Sasuke is close enough to hear the remnants of their conversation.

"Sakura-san, please do not make me repeat myself. I am expecting to see you tonight, for dinner. Don't you forget the financial contributions our chain has made to your hospital."

Before Sakura can retaliate, Sasuke puts himself between them, grip tight on the maître d's wrist. Sasuke's eyes are hard as he briefly glances down at his name tag before tightening his hold on his wrist, forcing Riku to release Sakura's elbow.

"Riku-san, I'm going to suggest that you apologise to Sakura now, and then get the hell out of our sight. She's with me. Are we clear?"

Sasuke edges closer to Riku with every word, and by the time he finishes his sentence, his knuckles bleed white from clenching too tight and his voice has lowered to a rough, low growl. He smirks as Riku mumbles an apology and takes two steps back after he releases his grip on him, and takes Sakura's hand and leads her out of the cafe.

Half an hour later, they find themselves sitting in the park with sandwiches, and Sakura has to hide a smile as Sasuke scowls while telling her to be more careful of men. "But I'll always be here to protect you," he says, stubbornly looking at his egg sandwich as the palest of pink dusts his cheeks.

5\. Realisation

The sun is slowly setting, casting the sea that was a beautiful mixture of turquoise and cerulean a beautiful myriad of golden hues. The sea is calm, small waves gently lapping the sand, teasing their bare toes. The air is salty, but Sasuke cherishes the comfort it brings. Sakura is sitting next to him, knees close to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Their shoulders are gently brushing against each other, and as Sasuke turns to look at her, eyes glowing and skin shining with the reflection of the sun, he is star struck. He is close enough to see the tiny gold and blue specks in her eyes, close enough to see the odd freckle dusting her cheeks, and he thinks she is beautiful.

He turns his attention back to the horizon, and even though Sakura is chatting animatedly beside him, he finds his mind drifting.

He thinks of the first time he met Sakura. They were sixteen, and she was the new transfer student in school. The first time his eyes meet hers, Sasuke feels like he's known her his entire life. Her eyes were so green, so bright and so full of life, and when she smiled at him, it made the corners of his mouth quirk up ever so slightly. She was assigned to the empty seat between Naruto and himself, and in half an hour Sasuke found out that while she was just as loud and annoying as Naruto, but he wouldn't have her any other way.

He thinks of them, six months down the track, studying for midterms. They both help Naruto out during the day and during the night, they focus on themselves. It had started out as late nights at the library, but as the nights got longer they found themselves at his place more and more often. Most nights he would walk her home, but there were always nights when both of them were so tired they ended up falling asleep next to each other. Sasuke was always the first to wake the next morning, and he thinks of the few minutes he spends just watching her sleep, too young to know what he was feeling, but old enough to know that it was something special.

He thinks of them, seventeen, at Sakura's mother's funeral. There had been a car accident, and he remembers Sakura wrapped in bandages and arm in a cast, blaming herself for surviving when her mother hadn't. The accident leaves Sakura a ghost of what she used to be. For a while, her attendance at school dropped, and he and Naruto never saw much of her. Days turned to weeks which turned to months and Sasuke remembers cornering her one day after class, catching her off guard. He remembers yelling and Sakura screaming, he remembers holding on to her, remembers Sakura's panic when he touches her, remembers her frantic pleas and desperate fists on his chest, remembers how those fists turned into handfuls of his uniform, remembers how her screams turned into cries and how she broke down. Sasuke remembers pulling her close, feeling his uniform wet with her tears, remembers how much his heart hurt seeing her like that, remembers promising to always be there for her.

He thinks of them, eighteen and in their final year of high school. He remembers Naruto, madly in love with Sakura since they were sixteen, finally confessing. He remembers the frustration of being Naruto's best friend and torn between wanting him to be happy and wanting Sakura to decline him, and he remembers the selfish happiness he feels when Sakura tells Naruto she has only ever loved him as a brother.

He thinks of them, nineteen, and it is mid-autumn and he is waiting for Sakura by the fountain in the park. She turns up ten minutes late, cheeks flushed with a parcel clutched tightly in her arms. She quickly shoves it into his hands, and her face turns three shades redder and Sasuke is afraid she might faint. "I um…I come here alone a lot. To the fountain, I mean. To uhh…you know, make wishes. With coins." She is starting to babble, something Sakura only does when she is nervous and Sasuke can't fathom why. "Sakura, relax. What's wrong?" his voice grounds her, and Sakura laughs nervously and averts her gaze. "I umm…well…here goes, 'cause me and you can talk about anything, right? IreallyreallyreallylikeyouSasuke-kun. I always have." He remembers panicking at her confession, even though he has always known how Sakura felt about him, he doesn't know if he feels the same. They had connected on a level so deep he doesn't know how to place it, and Sasuke remembers doing the one thing that made the most sense to him. He had told her he didn't feel the same way, and he remembers Sakura's eyes widening for a fraction before they started to water, remembers how brightly she had grinned and said that she had to go, remembers how quickly she had turned around and ran. That winter, when he finally opened the parcel she had given him to reveal a navy blue hand knitted scarf and decided he needed to apologise, Naruto told him that it was too late because that spring, Sakura moved to America.

He thinks of Sakura, and he thinks of how he has known from the second he laid his eyes on her, that she was different. Sakura is different in the way she smiles, innocent and genuine. Sakura is different in the way she laughs, and the way it makes the little moments just a little bit brighter. Sakura is different in the way she listens, the way her eyes stare into his soul, the way she makes him feel like she's known him his entire life. Sakura is different in the way that she _sees_ him, the real him, behind all his walls and layers.

When Uchiha Sasuke looks at Haruno Sakura, he sees a little girl with a big heart. A heart that is big enough to forgive, big enough to hope, and big enough to love.

Haruno Sakura makes Uchiha Sasuke laugh and cry and learn and grow. Sakura has always been special to Sasuke, but now, eleven years later, Uchiha Sasuke realises that he has loved Haruno Sakura all along.

6\. Frustration

Sasuke drops his pen, and turns away from the documents he is signing to look at Naruto from across the table. "What did you say, dobe?"

The blond takes another gulp of coffee, and continues signing his share of documents, unfazed. "I said," he starts in a bored tone, "That you'll always be her favourite." He doesn't miss how Sasuke's shoulders begin to tense, how the line of his lips become thinner and how his frown grows.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

And something in Naruto snaps, because how long is Sasuke going to play dumb? How long was he going to sit around and watch while Sakura got hurt, how long was he going to be selfish and keep Sakura by his side but never give her what she truly wanted from him? What the both of them had always wanted? He grits his teeth, and looks up to glare at Sasuke.

"I said, you'll always be her favourite. Sakura-chan…she's never given up on you. She came back because of you, teme. She's still here because of you. And you're blind if you can't see that being with you is hurting her. She's fighting battles alone and she's losing, and it's all because you're too much of a coward to do anything about your feelings!"

Sasuke lowers his head, his hands now curled into tight fists. His knuckles are white he is gritting his teeth so hard he thinks they might break.

"I used to love her, I used to pray to the gods that she would open her eyes and see that you were never going to do anything about her and give me a chance instead. But teme she's loved you from the beginning, and now she doesn't even know how not to anymore. You think you know her, you think that having lunch and dinner and late night movies and ice creams and weekend walks with her fixes everything, but you know nothing you bastard! Because she doesn't come knocking on your door with tears streaming down her face, she doesn't ring you when she gets home from one of your little adventures and is sobbing her heart out. You're not there to pick up the pieces and piece her together! She thinks that the past eight years could have been better but it wasn't because it was her fault! Sakura-chan tears herself up because she thinks she should have loved you a little more fearlessly, that she shouldn't have run away from you, that she should have tried harder and fought for you!"

The conference room is silent, save for Naruto's laboured breathing. Sasuke says nothing, and Naruto is so angry that he walks over to Sasuke and pulls him off of his chair by his collar. He brings Sasuke close, eyes wild with fury, and he almost snarls at him. "I know you love her, Sasuke. And it's about damn time you did something about it. Or I'm going to find someone who will." He releases his hold on Sasuke and shoves him backwards, before stomping out of the room. And for the first time in his life, Sasuke finds himself rendered speechless by Naruto.

7\. Letting go

It is the early hours of the morning, and Sasuke is outside Sakura's house in his car. He knows that this isn't right, but he can't get Naruto's words out of his head. His thoughts are momentarily distracted when the lights in Sakura's bedroom turn on, and five minutes later she is in the passenger seat, legs bare, wearing one of his jackets he had left with her.

He runs his hands through his hair in frustration, eyes focused on his steering wheel. "Why do you love me?"

She is taken aback by his question, he knows. From the corner of his eyes, he watches her chew her lower lip nervously and Sasuke almost feels nauseous.

When she speaks, her voice is soft, barely above a whisper. "Do I need a reason to love, Sasuke-kun?" He doesn't answer, so she sighs in resignation. "I love you for being you. Sasuke-kun, you're cold and harsh and unforgiving. You're relentless and sometimes cruel, and sometimes you terrify me. You're egoistical and stubborn and you never apologise." Sasuke looks away, ashamed of everything she is saying. "But Sasuke-kun, after peeling back layer after layer, I also know that you are caring, kind, and patient with those that you love. You're honest and raw and grounding. Deep down inside, you're loving and gentle and loyal. Sasuke-kun, I love you, the good and the bad. And…I'd be lying if I said that you don't hurt me, but Sasuke-kun when I'm with you, I feel like I'm at home. It's almost like…you fill a void in my heart. I could have everything in life and be happy with what I have, Sasuke-kun, but without you in it, if I didn't have you to come back to, if I didn't have you to love…if I didn't have you to make me smile and realise that life is only good when I'm sharing it with you, then I wouldn't be happy."

Sasuke's eyes widen with every word she says, and he turns to look at her, and the sight that meets him causes him to furrow his brows and grit his teeth. Tears are sliding down her cheeks, dripping onto her clenched fists in her lap. There is an instant yearning in his heart to cup her cheeks with his hands, to wipe away her tears, and to kiss her senseless and tell her that he knows, has always known how she feels.

But this is Sakura, Sakura who loves with every inch of her heart and soul. Sakura who gives herself in abundance, pours her heart into everything that she does. This is Sakura who is fragile and wears her heart on her sleeve, Sakura who is honest and generous and kind and beautiful and caring and everything that he isn't, and Sasuke doesn't deserve a love like Sakura's.

So he reaches past her and opens the passenger door. The air is chilly, and it is drizzling now, and his heart is telling him to stop but his logic is telling him to continue. "Get out." He hears her gasp and when she looks up to meet his gaze, he feels his heart break into a million pieces. "Now," and he is almost snarling.

Sasuke watches as Sakura stumbles out of his car, and out of his life for the second time. Tears prickle the inner corner of his eyes as he whips out his phone dials her number. "Kaa-san, can you warm me up some milk?"

8\. Persevere

Mikoto's grip on her bag is tight as she follows the nurse to Sakura's office. She hasn't seen Sakura since Sasuke and Naruto's gala six months ago, and a part of her feels guilty for what she is about to do, but when Mikoto thinks of Sasuke, her resolve strengthens. They reach her office and the nurse takes her cue to leave as Mikoto raps her knuckles against the door twice, opening when she hears Sakura's muffled voice telling her to go in.

"Sakura-chan," she greets fondly, and lets out a little chuckle as Sakura comes flying into her arms. "I thought you might like to grab some afternoon tea with me."

Mikoto finds herself in the corner booth of the hospital cafeteria, not a place she would normally eat at but she doesn't mind as it gives her a chance to see Sakura where she is most comfortable, most confident. She sees how the other doctors and hospital staff address her, how her patients brighten up when they see her and she sees how different Dr Haruno is to the Sakura-chan she knows. The sudden revelation that her Sakura-chan is no longer the little girl she remembers but is now a renowned and respected doctor makes her heart soar with pride, and she knows that Sakura's parents would have been proud of the beautiful woman she had become.

Sakura makes small talk but Mikoto is an Uchiha, and Uchiha have always been straight to the point. So Mikoto reaches across the table for Sakura's hands, holds it firmly and looks her in the eye. Mikoto likes to think that she is a kind, thoughtful and caring woman. She has never been selfish, she has never asked for others' sacrifices, and she is appalled at all that she is sitting in front of Sakura, about to make a request so selfish Fugaku would be ashamed of her. But when Mikoto thinks of her Sasuke, heartbroken eight years ago when he let Sakura go, Sasuke, withdrawn and quiet and angry, Sasuke, finally, finally smiling genuinely at the gala, and Sasuke, breaking down last night in her arms telling her that he didn't deserve Sakura, she steels herself and takes a slow, deep breath.

"Sakura-chan, please don't give up on Sasu-chan." Sakura's eyes widen at her words, and Mikoto suddenly wonders if she should have been less direct. But Sakura surprises her by giving her hand a firm squeeze before offering a small smile.

"Mikoto-san, even if I wanted to, I don't know how."

9\. Fireworks

Sasuke's heart is beating so fast he thinks it might stop from exhaustion. With shaky hands, he reaches for the doorbell. His lips quirk up into a small smile as he pictures her in bed, throwing her covers aside as she stomps out of bed, grumbling and cursing the person behind the door for visiting at such an ungodly hour in the morning. But really, Sasuke thought, eight in the morning wasn't early. He finds his smile growing as he pictures her pink hair, messy and dishevelled from sleep, her green, oh so green eyes blinking the sleep away and Sasuke is astounded by the sudden desire to wake up to Sakura every morning.

And when the door finally, finally swings open, Sasuke smirks as the anger from Sakura's face disappears all too quickly and her eyes widen with surprise. "Morning," he says quietly, and walks past her and into her apartment as she stands dumbfounded by the door. "Morning," she manages to mumble, closing the door and following him inside.

He sets the bags he has with him on the kitchen counter, and starts to roll up the sleeves of his sweater. "Go back to bed Sakura, I'll get you when breakfast is ready."

An hour later, he walks into her bedroom with two cups of coffee and two plates of French toast. Sasuke sets the food quietly on her bedside table, and stops for a moment to take in the sight of Sakura sleeping. He watches the gentle rise and fall of her chest with each breath she takes, studies the soft curve of her back and the way her lips part slightly. He watches how her hair is spread around her baby blue sheets, and reminds himself that he is here because he wants to spend the rest of his life waking up to this.

He gets under the covers, and moves to bring her in his arms like has done so many times in the past. He smiles as she snuggles into him without protest, a sigh of content escaping her lips. But this time, he thinks, this time, it will be different. This time, Sasuke vows to tell Sakura the things he has always wanted to say. He buries his nose in her hear, and closes his eyes and prays for the courage he needs. "Hey, sleepyhead. Time for breakfast."

Sasuke watches as Sakura eats, talking animatedly about her week at the hospital between bites. Sasuke feels guilty as he listens to her talk as if she had forgotten the last time they spoke in his car. He sets his plate aside, and tries to calm his raging nerves as he clears his throat a little too loudly, a sign for her to stop talking. Sakura stares at Sasuke, studying him, and all of a sudden the room feels too small and there is no air. It is silly, he thinks, that he is this nervous about telling a girl that he likes her. He tries to boost his confidence by telling himself that he is _the_ Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha Sasuke who every girl wanted to date, who every man wanted to be, who was confident and brave and _not, not, not_ a coward. So he opens his mouth to tell her the words he had rehearsed with Naruto all night long, but his speech escapes him and it is all he can do to run his fingers through his hair and sigh in frustration.

But he is Uchiha Sasuke and he has never been a man of many words, and _god,_ why was he even thinking of a speech when it was Naruto's idea in the first place? No. Uchiha Sasuke was always a man of action, never a man of words. So he did what his brain told him to do.

Uchiha Sasuke kissed Haruno Sakura.

Sasuke doesn't know what possessed his hands to cup her cheeks, but he did, and then he finds himself leaning in. Sasuke doesn't understand why, but the way her green eyes widen made him trace her lips with his fingers, he doesn't understand why his breath hitches as he looks her in the eyes, doesn't understand the sudden want in him when her lip trembles and he closes the gap between their lips, doesn't understand the burst of emotion when their lips finally meet. But it is breath-taking and he is seeing fireworks and it doesn't matter that seeing fireworks make him less of a man because this is Sakura and he has always loved Sakura and he is finally, finally kissing her. He pulls back after what feels like forever, and rests his forehead against hers, eyes never leaving hers.

The way she looks at him stirs emotions he never knew he was capable of feeling, and Sasuke feels like he has enough love in him for the world. He can't stop the smile that is slowly creeping up on his lips, can't stop the chuckle that escapes him, can't stop himself from whispering to her how much he loves her and her eyes and her lips and how much he wants to kiss her again. And when she tells him to kiss her again, he tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and kisses her with as much passion he can muster. But he is Sasuke and she is Sakura and their teeth clash and their noses bump along the way but it doesn't matter because this, Sasuke thinks, is what happiness feels like.


End file.
